Animal experimentation to be license-based

Shiga Medical College introduces licenses for graduate students and teaching staff (June 2004)

Starting from this year, Shiga Medical College will be introducing a license examination for graduate students and teaching staff that will be involved in vivisection.

In response to society being more aware of the welfare of animals, this examination system aims at strictly controlling the handling of animals and conducting animal experiments more appropriately.

This system is in common with universities in the United States and England.

However, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (the section in charge of arts and science) says, "We have never heard of universities in Japan adopting this system and we would like to consider promoting this system with other universities".

The license examination will be carried out by the animal experimentation committee, consisting of the professors of the university (chair, Tadao Baba, vice president).

Those who take the license exam will have to take an introductory class in animal experimentation in addition to the course in the Animal Life & Science Center of the university that is breeding 250 monkeys for ES cell experimentations.

Only after this are they permitted to take the 50 question paper test relating to the handling of animals, including the use of anesthesia and ethics.

In order to pass the exam they will have to correctly answer over 35 of the questions. Two types of exams are planned, one on how to handle general types of animals used in experimentation such as rats and rabbits and the other dealing with monkeys belonging to the higher primate species.

Currently most Japanese universities do provide a course for those who participate in animal experimentation.

Students and staff submit their experimentation plans to the animal experimentation committee in their universities, and once it has been approved they can then conduct their experimentations.

Shiga Medical College has been conducting over 200 experiments per year in the same manner. Vice-president Baba says, "There have been voices criticizing us for our abusing animals for experimentation based on rough plans. We hope establishing the license examination will result in improving the correctness of experimentation."